Studying and developing policy options concerning housing that is attainable by workers in high cost communities has been an area of professional emphasis of RRC Associates. We conduct housing needs assessments and market feasibility studies for what is termed "affordable housing". With over a decade of experience, we pride ourselves on practical applications of research techniques, including survey research, focus groups, and statistical and computer analysis, to define housing needs and demand among employees and residents within communities, regions, and for specific projects. Our clients have included city and county government agencies, local housing authorities and committees, non-profit agencies, and private businesses and developers.

To enhance and extend our housing needs assessment capabilities, we formed "The Housing Collaborative" in 1999, combining the expertise of our firm with that of McCormick and Associates, Inc., and Rees Consulting, Inc. The Housing Collaborative built upon the strengths of each organization to deliver a complete and accurate assessment of housing conditions in an area. Among the strengths of The Collaborative was the ability to work with local agencies, individuals and other organizations to identify housing approaches that build upon the opportunities in an area while addressing the constraints within each community, effectively providing customized services for our clients. RRC has continued to build upon the research techniques and policy analyses initiated by the Collaborative. With planners on staff that have also been employed in the public planning arena, we understand the public needs process and pride ourselves on providing implementable solutions to our clients' needs.

Residential and commercial linkage is based on the premise that new residential and commercial development and commercial expansions generate demand for additional employees, which, in turn, generate demand foe additional housing in the subject community. Inclusionary zoning links development of resident housing with that of new market-rate housing to increase the mix of housing available to employees and residents of a community. Many communities, particular mountain resort communities with limited development opportunities, high relative land costs, market housing priced largely our of reach for the local workforce, and significant second homeowner markets, have reached and adopted regulations that require residential and commercial development to provide housing that is affordable to a portion of the new employees the development is projected to generate. Depending on community regulations, employee housing is often provided through either new construction, deed restricting existing residential units, fee-in-lieu if construction, and/or provision of land to local housing authorities.

RRC has collected an extensive database of job generation from residential development and commercial operations (by industry) through surveys conducted since the early 1990's (and through the present). Combined with our public planning experience, understanding of the quality-of-life benefits associated with a local residents and employees that are invested in their community, and knowledge of mountain resort operations, tourist demographics and tourism-based economies, RRC Associates, Inc., has successfully assisted many resort communities in studying, drafting, and implementing regulations to help them achieve their employee housing and community goals. We have also worked with many private companies to help form public/private partnerships and mutual understanding in developing employee housing as a collaborative effort.